The Night Before Christmas
by mezzogal
Summary: All Alec wanted was a quiet Christmas Eve with his family. But when your partner is Magnus Bane, things don't always turn out the way you planned.


"Twas the night before Christmas," Alec read, his finger following the words on the page. Two little boys were snuggled in the crook of either arm. One, small and blue-skinned, was gradually nodding off. The other, slightly bigger and browner, was wide awake and excited. "When all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even…"

"A mouse!" five-year-old Rafael finished. He pointed at the book and looked up at Alec. "Go on."

"Shhhh… Rafe," Alec smiled. He ran a hand through Max's downy hair and continued. "The stockings were hung on the chimney with care, with hopes that St Nicholas would soon be there."

Rafael continued his interjections in a stage whisper throughout the poem. Alec had to tighten his arm around the boy at one point to stop him from jumping up from the bed and playing out the action.

"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight, 'Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.'" Alec shut the book as he read the last few lines.

Rafael whined and reached to open it. "Again, Daddy, again."

"Rafe, that was the third time," Alec reminded him with mock sternness. "You're supposed to be taking a nap. Look, Max is asleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Yes, you are."

"No!"

Alec put the book down on the bedside table. He adjusted his hold on Max, moving the three-year-old so he could carry him with one arm. "I'm going to put Max to bed. You had better be in yours when I get back."

"No!"

Alec ignored his older son's protests and went over to Max's room across the hall. The boy didn't react at all as he was tucked in. The bed was covered in assorted stuffed animals. Alec had learnt that his son liked to have them all around him as he slept. He arranged the animals carefully and placed a soft blue rabbit right next to him. Max's arms tightened around the rabbit as soon as he touched it. Alec smiled and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

He crossed back to Rafael's room to find the boy standing on the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. Even then, he was still too short to look Alec in the eye. "I don't want to take a nap," he sulked.

Alec crossed his own arms over his chest. "You'll be tired tonight. It's Christmas Eve. If you want to be able to stay up to see Santa, you need to take a nap now."

"No!"

"What will your Papa say when he gets back from his job and finds you all tired out?"

"I'm not tired!"

Alec sat on the bed and tugged Rafael's hand. The boy sat beside him. "All right. You don't have to sleep. But you have to lay down. I'll lay with you." And he did. "And you have to close your eyes."

"No!"

"It'll be a game. I'll close my eyes too. No peeking. The first one who peeks loses." Alec closed his eyes. He silently counted to five then cracked open an eye. Rafael's eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He put his arm around the boy, patting him gently. " _Duermete mi nino, duermete mi amor, duermete pedazo de mi corazon…"_ he sang. Rafael squirmed but Alec held him down. " _Este nino mio que nacio de noche, quiere que lo lleve a pasear en coche._ "

It took several rounds of the lullaby before Rafael finally relaxed into sleep. Alec lay there for a few more minutes before carefully getting up. He pulled the quilt over Rafael and tucked him in. The boy had a herd of stuffed reindeer on his bed. He loved the "Twas the night before Christmas" poem and had requested Alec and Magnus to read it to him dozens of times already. He had not got bored with it.

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen. On, Comet! On, Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen," Alec recited softly as he arranged the reindeer around his son. Magnus had tried to get Rafael interested in Rudolph, but the boy insisted there was no such reindeer because his name wasn't in the poem. So, the stuffed reindeer with the big red nose was relegated to the foot of the bed and, sometimes, even the floor.

Alec gave Rafael a kiss and went into the living room. It was a mess. This being their first Christmas as a family of four, they wanted everything to be done perfectly. But with the holiday season came more work for a Shadowhunter and a warlock. Alec had to do more late night patrols, as more mundanes were out at night and additional protection was needed. Magnus had to do more jobs for clients who wanted to impress others with magical presents. Both of them were also called on more often to help settle disputes in the Downworld, as more Downworlders were out indulging in holiday spirits. The result was that neither of them had much energy left to do much when they got home.

Laundry – clean and dirty – formed two mountains engulfing the wooden coffee table and cream leather sofa. Chairman Meow had made himself comfortable on top of the clean laundry and was napping with all four paws sticking up in the air. Shopping bags full of packages were tucked in corners around the room – there was a bag for everyone in the family, and no one was allowed to peek at the things in their bag. A live Christmas tree stood in front of the picture window. It was completely bare, but it filled the apartment with a fresh piney smell. Surrounding it was a fortress of boxes that Magnus said were decorations. Logs filled the fireplace, but they remained cold and unlit behind the screen.

Alec surveyed the living room and wondered what he should tackle first. He grabbed the pile of dirty clothes and stuffed them into the washing machine. As those washed, he made a start on folding the clean clothes, transferring the cat to his proper cat bed first. Never in a million years did he think he would be spending his time off doing laundry. But he wasn't unhappy. Each clothing item sparked a memory – Rafael and Max holding hands while ice skating at the Christmas market; Magnus and Rafael covered in flour while attempting to make a panettone; Max bouncing all over the Institute after "accidentally" drinking Jace's rum and eggnog. Jace had vehemently denied all culpability. No one believed him.

The front door opened and Magnus' firm hands fell on Alec's shoulders. A kiss was planted on the top of his head. "Alexander."

Alec smiled and turned his head up to meet Magnus' amber cat eyes, highlighted with thick black shimmery eyeliner. He stretched a little to kiss his lips. "You're home early."

"I hurried through my last client," Magnus said, hopping over the back of the sofa and settling down next to Alec.

"I hope you didn't hurry too much. I don't want to spoil our Christmas Eve with a hunt for any loose demons."

"You wound me with your doubts over my abilities." Magnus pressed a hand to his heart in mock hurt. Alec scoffed and went back to folding clothes. Magnus joined in distractedly, smoothing out a dark green sweater. "Alec, I was wondering," he began, "if we should throw a Christmas party."

Alec frowned. "Here?" He gestured at the mess that was their living room.

"Easily cleaned up with a little magic."

"If you want a party, you can throw it with Izzy in the Institute. Here, we're keeping things small," Alec retorted. "Besides, didn't you want to put up the decorations with the kids? Magicking everything into place would defeat the purpose."

"As always, you remind me of my priorities," Magnus said, leaning over to kiss Alec's cheek. Alec rolled his eyes but smiled.

The washing machine beeped to indicate that the laundry was done. Alec prepared to get up to deal with it, but Magnus tugged him back down. "I've got it." He flicked his fingers in the direction of the machine. Blue sparks surrounded it. It opened. The clean clothes rose up and transferred themselves into the dryer. Another quick snap of Magnus' fingers and the dryer began to hum.

"Couldn't you have just magicked these clothes away?" Alec asked, gesturing to the stacks of laundry they had just tackled.

"I could. But it's so much more pleasurable to sit here and fold them with you."

Alec's lips lifted in a small smile and he elbowed Magnus, who jostled him right back.

"Daddy! Can I get up yet?" Rafael's impatient voice sounded from the hallway.

Alec looked at his watch. Six o'clock already. Two hours had just flown by. He patted Magnus' knee. "Why don't you magic the clothes into the closets and go get your sons?"

Magnus grinned and obeyed, flicking a hand casually at the folded clothes, which disappeared in a sparkle. He found Rafael's room door open and the boy standing just inside the doorway. "Papa!" Rafael exclaimed, reaching out for a hug.

"Hello, you," Magnus greeted, squatting down to let his son wrap his arms around his neck. "Good boy, for waiting until we came to get you. Come on, let's go wake Max."

Max was already awake and playing with his toys in bed when Magnus and Rafael entered. He, too, squealed and demanded a hug when he saw his Papa. Magnus did not hesitate to oblige. "Who wants to help decorate the Christmas tree?" he asked.

"Me!" Rafael bellowed, waving his hand furiously.

"Me, too! Me, too!" Max echoed.

"Go on, then. Daddy's waiting in the living room. Tell him you're ready for Christmas."

The boys rushed from the room, yelling at the top of their lungs. They barrelled into Alec and grabbed his legs. "Daddy! Christmas!"

Alec peeled the little boys off him and stood them side by side. "Now, this is a very serious operation," he began in his Shadowhunter voice. The boys snapped to attention. "The fate of Christmas hangs in the balance. We must be careful and precise. There is little room for error." Behind the boys, Magnus leaned his elbows on the sofa and grinned. Alec's eyes flicked to him for a moment, then back to the boys. He indicated the boxes by the Christmas tree. "In these boxes, you will find all you need. Rafael, your job will be to get the decorations out and place them carefully on the rug. Max, you will sort them out by colour. Rafe, you can help him when you're done and further sort them by shape. Magnus, you're on tinsel duty – untangle and lay them out. I'll be doing the lights. Any questions?"

Rafael raised his hand. Alec pointed at him. "Can I put my reindeer on the tree too? In case Santa is looking for them?"

"Yes, you can, but not right now," Alec answered. "We have to get the groundwork done first."

Magnus raised his hand. Alec raised an eyebrow. "How about some music while we work?"

"By all means."

Magnus pointed at the stereo by the television. A choir began singing carols.

"All right, you have your instructions. Get to it," Alec dismissed.

Everyone set about their tasks with enthusiasm. Alec wrangled the tangled strings of lights and walked round and round to place them on the tree. Magnus followed with the golden tinsel. He walked in the counter direction of Alec. Each time they passed, Magnus would deliberately bump him. His hand would slyly touch Alec's hand or waist. He stole kisses when they were behind the tree and out of sight of the children.

Max and Rafael were too busy sorting to pay real attention to their fathers. Rafael was bossily telling his little brother where to put each ornament, according to some elaborate system known only to the boy. When Alec and Magnus were done with the lights and tinsel, Rafael took charge and told them exactly where he wanted each ornament placed on the tree. Max covered the lower branches, Magnus, the middle, and Alec, the top. The stuffed reindeer were rounded up and tucked in the upper branches. Max perched on Alec's shoulders and placed the star right at the top. It was crooked but Magnus discreetly used magic to straighten it out.

The tree would not win any contests for its looks, but it was decked out with as much care as a five-year-old could muster. Rafael was full of pride as he crawled under the tree to the electrical outlet and turned on the switch. He rolled onto his back to look at the colourful lights twinkling above him and giggled as he tried to count them.

The doorbell rang. Alec looked quizzically at Magnus, but his partner was busy trying to pull Rafael out by his ankles, judging the boy to have stayed under the tree for too long.

"Come on, Max, let's see who it is," he said, picking up his younger son. He opened the door and found Jace, Clary, Isabelle and Simon, all of them carrying paper bags and packages.

"Merry Christmas!" Jace bellowed, barging in and dumping his bags on the dining table. "Maxie, my boy!" He plucked the little boy from Alec's arms and swung him around exuberantly.

"Uncle Jace!" Rafael ran straight to him and insisted on showing him the Christmas tree.

"Alec, where do you want us to put all this?" Clary asked, indicating all their packages.

Magnus waved a hand. "Just on the table would be fine," he answered.

Alec froze as people surged around him. He stared at Magnus. "What's going on? Why is everyone here?"

"I thought it would be nice to have a gathering tonight," Magnus said, putting an arm around Alec's waist.

"So, when you asked about a party earlier, you weren't actually asking?"

Magnus looked apologetic. "Sorry."

"I think we've got everything," Izzy announced. "Three types of soup and all the bread rolls we could carry."

"Soup?" Alec raised his eyebrows.

"I read that it's good to eat something lighter on Christmas Eve, in anticipation of a large meal the next day," Magnus explained.

Izzy and Clary set out three large packets of soup and a plastic box full of bread. "We've got chicken and mushroom, cream of corn, and minestrone," Clary said, pointing out each one. "Magnus, do you have a microwave to heat them up? And bowls?"

"In the kitchen, biscuit. Help yourself."

Simon held up the bags he was holding. "I'll put the presents under the tree then?"

Alec nodded then turned to Magnus. "We haven't wrapped the presents yet," he hissed.

"I'll take care of it," Magnus assured him. "Don't worry."

Alec pulled him into the nearest room – their home office – and shut the door. "Magnus, this is our first Christmas a family of four. I thought we wanted a traditional Christmas. You know, something small with just the family spending time together. Not a big affair with everyone."

Magnus took Alec's hands. "Alexander, they're our family too. They love you and Max and Rafe. The kids are so happy when they're here. I know you want to spend time with them too."

Alec rolled his eyes and sighed. "You do have a point."

"Let's just have a nice dinner with them tonight, and it'll be just us tomorrow. I promise."

Alec thought about this compromise for a moment. "Fine," he conceded.

"I'm very, very sorry I invited them over without asking you."

"I probably wouldn't have agreed."

"I know. I won't do it again."

Alec scoffed. "We both know you will. You're incorrigible."

"All I do, I do with love." Magnus grinned and planted a kiss on Alec's lips. "In the meantime, you go out and distract them while I hurry and wrap the presents."

"The presents?" Alec repeated. To his surprise, the presents had magically moved from the living room into the office. "Couldn't you have just magicked them wrapped?"

"Some things require the personal touch," Magnus said, flexing his fingers. "Fifteen minutes should do it. Though twenty would be better."

Alec shook his head and went out. Izzy was standing in the hallway looking out to the living room, her head tilted to the side like she was trying to figure out something.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"There's something weird about your tree," his sister said, gesturing at it. "Like, when I look at it like this, it seems… off. I'm not sure why. But when I get down here," she sat on the floor. "It looks perfect."

Alec joined her on the floor. She was right. "It does look better from down here." His eye fell on Rafael and Jace, who appeared to be wrestling over a toy piano and making a horrible racket. "Rafe decorated the tree."

"That probably explains it. We all have to be three feet tall to appreciate it."

Alec laughed and left his sister to continue admiring the tree. He pulled Jace off Rafael. "I leave you all alone for two minutes and my living room turns into a war zone."

"We're not fighting," Rafael immediately denied.

"We were having a difference in opinion over how Jingle Bells should be played," Jace explained.

Alec decided to ignore this. He turned to Max and Simon who were engaged in battle on the sofa with a pair of spoons. "And what's your excuse?"

Simon grabbed Max round the waist and was holding him in a lock. "He attacked me first," Simon declared. "But now I win!" Max giggled uncontrollably and continued to hit Simon's arm with his spoon.

"It doesn't look like it," Alec observed dryily. "Max…" Alec took his son from Simon and chided him. "We've talked about when a fight ends. Do you need to be put in time out?"

"Sorry, Daddy," Max said, not sounding the least bit contrite. Alec turned him to face Simon. "Sorry, Uncle Simon."

Simon ruffled Max's hair. "Hey, no harm done."

Alec wandered into the kitchen to find Clary standing in front of the microwave in bewilderment. It was a top-of-the-range microwave that had a lot of functions on it. Magnus was the only person who could wield it to perfection, but Alec knew his way around it well enough. He smirked and stepped in to set the machine to heat up the soup and rolls. Clary was relieved to not have to deal with it, and volunteered to set the table.

The dining room looked quite festive when the placemats were out and the bowls and plates set out with cutlery in their proper place. Delicious scents arose from the three soup tureens and the mountain of rolls. Simon decorated with some sprigs of holly and unlit candles that he picked up from around the living room.

Izzy suggested lighting a fire in the fireplace. Alec was not sure about this because of the children, but Jace decided it was a great idea and insisted. He swore he would keep an eye on the boys. Alec decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. It turned out that Izzy was right again. The sight, sound and smell of a merrily crackling fire was the final touch to put Alec in the Christmas spirit and start to relax and enjoy himself. When Magnus emerged from the study with bags of presents, wearing an intentionally hideous red Christmas sweater and declaring "Ho! Ho! Ho!", he found himself joining in the laughter.

The presents were distributed and opened as everyone sat at the table. Bits of wrapping paper and glitter found their way into the soup, but no one minded. Magnus promised to magically heal anyone who came down with poisoning from swallowing any stray decoration.

"Better make sure it's not your own son," Alec chided, stopping Max from putting a ribbon in his mouth for the third time.

"Max, don't eat that. That's yucky," Rafael ordered.

"Okay," Max agreed and dropped the ribbon on the floor immediately.

"Why do you listen to him and not to me?" Alec lamented. "I'm your father. I outrank him." The brothers exchanged a conspiratorial look.

Simon laughed. "Oh, I know that look. My sister and I used to give each other that look. We knew who was boss and it definitely wasn't our mom."

"Come on, Alec," Izzy wheedled. "Don't you remember the things we got into when we were kids?"

"Things you and Jace got into," Alec corrected. "I remember objecting to all your crazy plans and you two not listening to me."

"And then Mom catching and punishing you because you didn't get away in time," Jace reminisced.

Alec laughed. "I let you guys go first," he corrected. Jace made a face. "I remember thinking that when I had kids, I would make sure I get to the bottom of matters instead of punishing the first kid I got my hands on."

"Or the most guilty-looking one," Jace joked. Now, it was his and Izzy's turn to exchange a conspiratorial look.

"You guys are making me glad to be an only child," Clary interjected.

Simon laughed. "What are you talking about? We got into trouble. Except I was always the fall guy when your mom caught us."

Clary smiled sweetly at him. "You're the brother I never had."

The doorbell rang again. Alec looked over at Magnus, who shrugged and got up to open the door.

A horde of vampires and werewolves led by Lily and Maia streamed in. Yells of "Merry Christmas!" filled the apartment and an assortment of liquour bottles and gaily wrapped packages appeared on the living room coffee table. Chairman Meow mewed in panic at the sudden invasion and darted into the farthest room at the end of the hallway.

For the second time that evening, Alec asked. "Why is everyone here?" He glared at Magnus.

"I promise you, Alec, I did not invite them," Magnus assured. He hunted down Lily. "What are you all doing here?"

"One of my vampires was at Taki's and heard Izzy talking about a party at your place," Lily explained. "I called Maia, and here we are!"

Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Lily, this may surprise you, but you aren't invited to every party I throw."

Lily gasped in mock shock. "And here I thought we were best friends."

"No, we're not. Now, please, get everyone out." Magnus held open the front door.

Alec intervened. "Magnus, since they're here, I suppose they could stay a while." He looked round the table to see if there were any objections. Magnus gaped at him. Everyone else seemed excited at the prospect of a party. Max and Rafael were making funny faces with a couple of werewolves.

Lily ran across the living room and threw her arms around Alec's neck. "See, Lightwood likes me best." He smelled alcohol coming off her and supposed this was why she was so expressive all of a sudden.

Magnus threw his hands in the air. "Oh all right. But keep things family friendly; there are minors present. No wrecking our Christmas tree! And no making out in our rooms!"

Such a party, with Downworlders and Shadowhunters mingling and enjoying themselves together, was possible only in the home of Magnus and Alec. The music was turned on loud, the drinks flowed freely and chatter filled every corner of the apartment. The soup sat forgotten and someone ordered pizza. It took two deliverymen to deliver them. The men ended up staying for the party as well, though Magnus made sure to put memory charms on them before they left.

Magnus decided to kick everyone out at around eleven. Surprisingly, everyone complied and filed out, shaking Magnus' and Alec's hands and wishing them happy holidays. Magnus suspected that they were just adjourning to another location to continue the party. But that was none of his business. When the last person left, he shut the door and sighed in relief.

Alec stood next to him, laughing. "I never thought I'd see the day when you would stop a party early."

"Must be getting old," Magnus suggested. "Where are the kids?"

"Max is under the tree. I'm not exactly sure where Rafael is. But I'm 90 per cent sure no one carried him off when we weren't looking." Alec picked up his younger son who had been entertained during the party by vampires showing him card tricks and was now in his sparkly glade with Chairman Meow playing with wrapping paper. "I'll put this one to bed. You go look for the other one?"

Magnus checked all the little nooks and crannies in the living room. He found some small change and quite a bit of rubbish, which he put into a pile to throw away. But no little boy. The sofa cushions were gone too. Magnus wondered who was responsible for that for that. Stealing the cushions was a step too far; heads would roll. The kitchen was equally a mess. It looked like some people had been playing beer pong in the bathroom. He shook his head. With a wave of his hand, the red cups and spilled liquid vanished, leaving behind pristine tiles smelling of lemon. Another wave of his hand cleaned up the living room, restoring it to its usual comfortable and cosy atmosphere, sans cushions.

"Magnus!" Alec called. He hurried over to see his partner standing the doorway of their office looking very disapproving.

The chairs had been pulled away from the table, and lamps, side tables and the bookshelves were out of place. Sheets, quilts, towels and even the curtains were draped over the furniture to create quite an impressive fort. A shiny silver balloon floated up from one corner.

"Max's bedding was missing. I came in here and found this," Alec explained. "Are you going in there, or shall I?"

Magnus sighed and snapped his fingers. The fabric flew up and landed in a pile in the hallway, spilling out into the living room. A very intricate inner labyrinth was revealed. The missing sofa cushions, pillows from all their bedrooms, books from the shelves and miscellaneous stationery were arranged to make walls and mark out little rooms. Asleep in the middle, next to a pile of flashlights, toys and children's books, were two werewolves and Rafael.

Alec gingerly made his way over and picked up Rafael. Magnus waited until they had left the room before grabbing the two werewolves by the neck, marching them to the front door and ejecting them from the apartment. He then went over to the fabric pile and began digging through it for his sons' bedding.

He found Max quietly playing with his toys on his bed, heedless that there were no pillows or sheets. Magnus made up the bed as quickly as he could and tucked him in. The boy was nodding off as Magnus left the room.

He then entered Rafael's room with an armful of bedding and pillows and found that the older boy had woken up and was protesting against having to be put to bed. Alec was making soothing noises and gently easing his arms and legs into the pyjamas.

"Daddy, Santa…" Rafael whined.

"I know. Go to sleep so Santa will come." Alec nodded as he tucked Rafael in and laid down to cuddle.

Magnus got in too, so Rafael was sandwiched between them. He reached for Rafael's favourite book and began to read: "Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St Nicholas would soon be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads…"

Rafael was asleep before he had even finished the first stanza. But Magnus kept reading though, until he got to the end. He and Alec crept out of the room.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Magnus asked.

Alec shook his head. "Not just yet."

"Let's sit for a while." Magnus took Alec's hand and pulled him to the sofa. He pointed at the stereo. Christmas music played softly. "Drink?"

"I think I had enough from just now."

"How about this then?" Two blue and white cups from City Bakery appeared on the coffee table. Steam wafted out, bringing with it the scent of chocolate, cream and melting marshmallows.

Alec took a sip. It was rich and smooth and filled him with warmth from the inside. "This is good."

"Perfect to unwind to." Magnus took a sip of his chocolate too. A moustache of cream and marshmallow stuck to his upper lip. Alec wiped it off with his thumb and licked it clean. "What a night."

"Mm-hmm…" Alec agreed. He had a smile on his face.

Magnus snuggled closer to him. He was always amazed by how his body fit so perfectly against Alec's. He threaded his fingers through his. "Not what I expected, but I don't think I regretted a minute of it."

"Hmmm…"

Magnus' gaze fell on the tree. "The Christmas tree looks odd."

Alec laughed. "Five-year-old perspective," he said, without offering more explanation. "Don't you dare fix it."

They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the crackle of the fireplace and a soprano singing Silent Night. The twinkling lights of the Christmas tree and the gentle flames provided the only illumination. Flurries of white dancing on the other side of the window caught Magnus' eye.

"It's snowing," he murmured.

"A white Christmas," Alec said. He stretched out and grabbed a blanket from the fabric pile. It was a large grey chunky knit one that Magnus had bought recently. It was large enough to drape around their shoulders and over their legs.

"Santa should be here soon," Magnus said.

"Have you been naughty or nice?"

Magnus planted a kiss on Alec's neck. "I suppose some would say I've been naughty."

Alec chuckled. "Some would also say you've been nice. Maybe even the nicest."

"I doubt that. You're the nicest."

"Oh stop."

"I mean it, Alexander." Magnus took both of Alec's hands in his and kissed his knuckles. "You go along with all my mad plans with hardly any complaints. You constantly surprise me. You welcomed me into your family, and you made a family just for us. If not for you, I wouldn't have been a father. I can't imagine my life now without Max or Rafe or you, and I don't want to. You know I've always been changing, on the go, never staying in one place for too long. But you make me want to stay. That means something."

Alec put an arm around Magnus, stroking his neck affectionately. "I love you too."

Somewhere in the house, a clock began to chime the midnight hour. Alec's arm tightened around Magnus and Magnus laid his head on Alec's chest. He could hear Alec's strong heartbeat and feel the rise and fall as he breathed. A small furry bundle mewed and jumped onto the sofa, brushing against them before sprawling across their laps and settling down. Magnus stroked the cat with a finger.

The last chime lingered in the stillness. "Happy Christmas to all," Magnus whispered. "And to all a good-night."

 **THE END**


End file.
